2006 Hummer H2 SUT - Mindfreak

A Truly Magical Experience

Blasting through the fog of a dimly lit stage, aircraft landing lights illuminate the scene as 565hp rumbles along with streaks of real fire emblazing the sides of a magical Hummer H2. This insane magical ride was purposely built to blow people's minds--much like Criss Angel does in Las Vegas and on television. Real Wheels built this Hummer for Criss, to showcase its ability to design and create cool rides with its products, but also to pay homage to Harry Houdini, who died Halloween night 1926. The planets aligned just right to unveil the Hummer at the SEMA `06 show, in Las Vegas, on Halloween. No coincidence there. The grand finale ended up being so shocking, the audience was still talking about it a year later.

Starting with a stock '06 Hummer H2, the Real Wheels team added a Ground Force 2/3 lowering kit to the SUV, along with Ace Alloy Volt black-faced 22-inch wheels and BFGoodrich 325/55R22 tires. The new stance gave the Hummer an athletic appearance, but the crew didn't stop there. Under the hood lies a polished and intercooled ProCharger supercharger pushing 11psi of boost into the 6.0L. Meanwhile, Belanger Tri-Y headers with a trick rear and side-exiting Corsa exhaust expel the fumes. Slick DMH Performance electronic cutouts can re-route the exhaust from the rear to the side exhaust tips with a flip of a switch for a rumble that shakes everyone in its path. Sending the power to the ground is a TCI Automotive 3,000-stall torque converter. Custom chromed covers add good looks to the V-8 and the Ohio Generator high-amp alternator keeps the two Optima batteries full of juice. All that performance meant the Real Wheels team needed to make the Hummer look as good as it ran.

Extreme Finish and Trim dipped the fenders, bumpers, and bed caps in carbon fiber to provide a unique look that only the most observant audiences will notice. Real Wheels also shaved the roof rack and then went to work doing what it does best, manufacturing billet and stainless steel body pieces. A wild front grille guard was created to resemble a stunt Houdini may have tried to break out of 80 years earlier. Incorporating real stainless steel chain links and antique locks, the look is eerie. Blasting through that grille guard are KC HiLiTES aircraft landing lights that provide enough light to turn any dark stage into the spotlight of a real illusionist. Real Wheels also cut custom chromed billet door handles and mirror covers. We'll explain the mirror covers later. Other trick modifications include motion sensors on top of the doors that actuate Autoloc hidden door poppers, so the doors will fly open with a wave of your hand. A card shooter was also stealthily hidden in the front grille, which is activated by motion to shoot a deck of cards at you. Strobe lights from StreetGlow and a smoke machine make this Hummer a rolling side show. An awesome one-of-a-kind solid billet fuel door is activated by the depression of your thumb on the rear back-up sensor and actually swivels open. It goes from a covered solid piece to a perfectly-cut hole for the gas nozzle in a fluid swivel action. This innovation was created by ITW and is amazing to see in person.

The body was complete, with the exception of what many would argue to be the most insane part of the truck: the paint. Jay Wright from Custom Painted Vehicles in Racine, Wisconsin, applied his artistry to the Hummer using BASF paints. Real flames can be seen scorching both sides of the H2 with Criss Angel's likeness holding the flames in the palm of his hand. Wild looking cards are seen streaking by on the black surface as they, too, are on fire. An illusionist himself couldn't have done a better job at applying the flames to the Hummer and the overall look fits the theme perfectly. But there's still more to be seen inside.

Grabbing onto the billet door handles and opening the doors revealed an interior that can only be described as red. A red dash, red door panels, red Yonaka Motorsports racing seats, and a red Magical Industries fabric headliner. Yes, the interior is red. Besides the vibrant color, Showtime Audio located in Chicago built huge door panel pods that house three 6-1/2-inch Maxxsonics components and 23-inch Farenheit monitors. Showtime also fabricated a center console subwoofer enclosure, which houses eight Brutus 10-inch subs that reach from the dash all the way to the back window. A JVC KD-AVX2 provides the tunes for the HiFonics amps. Now residing in the dash is a 10-inch touchscreen monitor that interfaces with the DriveSoft computer system. The DriveSoft computer controls the entire truck, including the sound, video, and engine tuning system. Above the 10-inch screen are five Faze gauges providing additional information to the fortunate driver. Going back to the mirror covers, Real Wheels installed tiny cameras on each side and the rear of the Hummer. Monitors are now installed where the rearview mirror once resided and the rear camera provides a line of sight. Controlling the Hummer's direction is a one-off solid billet spiderweb steering wheel, which was custom cut by Real Wheels. It's just another trick mod added to the Mindfreak Hummer.

Completing the Hummer is another automation spectacular, which was housed inside the bed. With the push of a button, the clear acrylic tonneau cover motorizes up while audio/video components, blossoming from stainless steel tube, rise from the bed floor. Mounted onto the tubes are a series of four HiFonics amps, Maxxsonics speakers, and a 23-inch Farenheit monitor. As if the rest of the H2 wasn't wild enough, this display of engineering pushes people over the edge.

Mindfreak continues to mesmerize audiences everywhere it has been displayed. Just as Angel's illusions has left people wanting more, this Hummer H2 drops jaws with the best of them. Houdini would have been proud.